Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa Message Board - Airport - customs intimidation techniques

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Hello everyone,
We arrived today to ZIH, we were prepared to be harassed by customs because we were bringing a lot of bags - to our surprise everything went smoothly. They asked some questions, had us press the button got green and off we went. We had read and reread how much you can bring in, and had receipts for everything, and also knew we were at the whim of the person at the airport.

However, a gentleman on our same flight was being harassed by the agents. He brought in two iPads, and the agent was telling him that he would need to confiscate one of them. Understandably, the traveler was very upset and saying they could not confiscate it because it belonged to the US Government. If I were him, I would not come back based not he way he was treated: the agent used intimidation techniques. Not sure what the outcome was, probably he paid a fine and taxes, but really, totally unnecessary.

We need to do better to welcome the tourists that help activate the local economy.

Warm holiday wishes to those who celebrate.
BL

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What in the world would give them the
authority to steal his property?

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Why in the world are you arriving to be harassed?

Quien en su Sano juicio entra libermente en tal resultaldo?

Noricias falsas!

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Why in the world are you arriving to be harassed?

Quien en su Sano juicio entra libermente en tal resultaldo?

Noricias falsas!

Are you questioning my account of what I saw today? I'm not understanding your post...

2597 views

Estabas predeterminado para culpar a tu anfitrion.

Tiene respecto a Los empleados!

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Estabas predeterminado para culpar a tu anfitrion.

Tiene respecto a Los empleados!

No te entiendo. No tiene nada que ver con respetar a los empleados, sino con las técnicas de intimidación. No tiene sentido tratar así a los visitantes. Jamás dije nada en contra de las reglas.

Que tengas buena noche.

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Te watcho Nacho

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Have a lovely day, Zihuateco.

May the holiday season bring you health, peace, and joy.

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Gracias BL, deseandote a ti y tu Familia una Feliz Navidad.

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...it belonged to the US Government.

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This post is wrong for so many reasons.

Cuando llegan ya no estan en tu Pais. Respectan los Empleados y Reglas.

No pone trucha alarmas Falsos!

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Hello everyone,
We arrived today to ZIH, we were prepared to be harassed by customs because we were bringing a lot of bags - to our surprise everything went smoothly. They asked some questions, had us press the button got green and off we went. We had read and reread how much you can bring in, and had receipts for everything, and also knew we were at the whim of the person at the airport.

However, a gentleman on our same flight was being harassed by the agents. He brought in two iPads, and the agent was telling him that he would need to confiscate one of them. Understandably, the traveler was very upset and saying they could not confiscate it because it belonged to the US Government. If I were him, I would not come back based not he way he was treated: the agent used intimidation techniques. Not sure what the outcome was, probably he paid a fine and taxes, but really, totally unnecessary.

We need to do better to welcome the tourists that help activate the local economy.

Warm holiday wishes to those who celebrate.
BL

No doubt with the number of eyes and sheer volume of people they need to process the ability for customs to rip people off is diminished. But I will never forget the disgrace I witnessed in July.

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It can be a $hit show in customs. The people on the same search table as me kept being questioned about a ziplock bag of cheap costume jewelry, they were very angry but finally got released. They briefly questioned me, I was polite and was released in about 1 minute. The time before they went through everything, suitcase’s were a complete mess after they were done. It’s been a huge pain lately but having your receipts, being calm and respectful appears to be working for me. My local friend spoke to someone that works at the airport about our issues with customs, he was told that ZIH and another small airport has customs being ran by this new company. I certainly would no longer be bringing anything to donate for sure.

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Just a friendly reminder that crossing the border from San Diego into Tijuana and then taking the direct flight from the Tijuana airport to Zihuatanejo will avoid the potentially unpleasant experience of going through customs in Zihua. Be sure to schedule a day or two in the San Diego / Tijuana region. Highly recommend a trip to the Valle de Guadalupe, the celebrated wine country of Baja California.

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Or through Mexico City.

But yes, Valle de Guadalupe is well worth a visit.

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Fully agree. Calm and receipts help.

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I am SO confused!!!!

US government employees may not travel to Zihuatanejo as stated in the most recent US State Department Travel Advisory. If the iPad belonged to the US government, he must have been an employee??

Thought that it is a fine, not confiscation.

From the US State Department Travel Advisory:
Guerrero state – Do Not Travel

Do not travel due to crime.

Crime and violence are widespread. Armed groups operate independently of the government in many areas of Guerrero. Members of these groups frequently maintain roadblocks and may use violence towards travelers. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping in previous years.

Travel for U.S. government employees is limited to the following area with the noted restrictions:

Taxco: U.S. government employees must use Federal Highway 95D, which passes through Cuernavaca, Morelos, and stay within downtown tourist areas of Taxco. Employees may visit Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park during the day with a licensed tour operator.
U.S. government employees may not travel to other areas of the state of Guerrero, including to tourist areas in Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, and Ixtapa.

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I may be wrong but I think the regional travel restriction for US gov t employees has been in effect for a few years?

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Could be, but this was dated October 2022.

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I am SO confused!!!!

US government employees may not travel to Zihuatanejo as stated in the most recent US State Department Travel Advisory. If the iPad belonged to the US government, he must have been an employee??

Thought that it is a fine, not confiscation.

From the US State Department Travel Advisory:
Guerrero state – Do Not Travel

Do not travel due to crime.

Crime and violence are widespread. Armed groups operate independently of the government in many areas of Guerrero. Members of these groups frequently maintain roadblocks and may use violence towards travelers. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping in previous years.

Travel for U.S. government employees is limited to the following area with the noted restrictions:

Taxco: U.S. government employees must use Federal Highway 95D, which passes through Cuernavaca, Morelos, and stay within downtown tourist areas of Taxco. Employees may visit Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park during the day with a licensed tour operator.
U.S. government employees may not travel to other areas of the state of Guerrero, including to tourist areas in Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, and Ixtapa.

I hear you, Talley Ho. I am just reporting what I witnessed, it may inform how people decide to arrive

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I have used ZIH airport one to three times a year since 1982, back in the days when we lined up outdoors, enjoying being rained on by the tropical showers, with our carryon in hand.

Recently I had the experience of bringing a “well-used” (as in 10 years of use) Breville blender with me. I didn’t have a receipt because the blender was so old. I had kept the original box all those years. The aduana person said that because I brought it in the box, they considered it to be a new item for resale. I showed them the wear on the blender and offered to show the manufacture date on the blender to no avail.

I was charged more for duty than the blender was probably worth at that stage.

Recently, a friend arrived with a few electronic items for me, with all of the receipts in Canadian dollars, with currency conversion to USD, showing he was within the limits. I had forgotten to give him the receipt for an Apple TV. Aduana charged him M$1,500 duty for the Apple TV. The agent told my friend they were giving him a good rate because he had been so patient and courteous during the process.

I have started coming using AeroMexico through MEX airport instead of the WestJet flights. My travel time is now is closer to 24 hours than the 10 hours using WestJet, but I avoid an unpleasant arrival.

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We were WAY OVER in MANY categories and got through with no problems.

The thing to remember is that this was just good luck.

Every country has customs importations rules.

The duty on, "overage liquour", liquour over your allowed amount coming into Canada even by Canadians is 100%. A bottle of Don Julio Blanco with the duty and the 12% tax that would be charged in my home provincial BC liquour store would be $97.44 CAD. Call it a hundred bucks. That is the rule and the law. Pay another 100 bucks or loose the bottle. Hey, but you've brought more lots of times!! You just got away with the infraction and more power to you. A foreigner entering Canada, much like one entering Mexico will have an allotment for personal use.

I ABSOLUTELY agree that the ridiculous level of scrutiny and the INCONSISTENCY of the application is HORRIBLE for tourism but keep in mind customs officials worldwide have perhaps even more power than the police and certainly they have wider discretion to detain you and if provoked or truly suspicious they can even insist on performing a cavity search. This is not hyperbole but regulation.

In measured response to to the Little Guy's thoughtful, on topic, post I will add the information below.

I read of a $100 CAD charge for a laptop though CDMX, so that route while also having seemed better for us MAY not protect you as much as you wish it might. Our AeroMexico-Westjet combination flight through CDMX failed miserably and we then got routed from Vancouver to Calgary where we THEN had to go through American Customs on the way to Los Angeles to eventually go through customs in ZIHUA anyway. We got, 48 hours of unlucky with flights and two minutes lucky with all customs officers.

I KNOW of a much higher fee, even with prolonged negotiation @ SJD, San Jose del Cabo, over an admittedly very expensive underwater camera housing but one brought through trouble free many previous times. Politeness and fluent Spanish and facility and ability to search online while in line, REDUCED the fee on the item but a significant importation, "expense" still occurred. The housing was for use on a Mexican federally licensed expedition in a national marine park but still the, "expense" was required.

Something to note is that the SJD housing and a friend's $100 CAD fee charged here @ ZIH for a second laptop, also brought many times previously, is that customs issued a, "LIFETIME", sort of receipt to allow unlimited entry in the future as long as the receipt was kept.

The policy is HORRIBLE for tourism, that is very clear.

--
Please be happy always

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I don’t mind paying for predictable overage costs. I mostly pay attention to bringing receipts to demonstrate that my goods are within limits.

(I am spooked though about the iPad situation described above. I typically bring a 12.9” Pro for watching movies while in Mexico and a 9.7” iPad to use on the flight. Now I’m reluctant bring both.)

I consider that the difficulties we are experiencing in Zihuatanejo are two-fold and in some ways related.

One is inconsistency. One person with two “checked” suitcases gets a green light and sails through. Another person with one checked and one carry on gets the green light and is directed to have everything inspected anyway. In past years, i found that if i packed my things in checked “luggage” and got a green light, I was through. If I packed my things in a cardboard box instead, I had to open everything, even with a green light.

The second is the appearance of arbitrariness. This is related to the above, but also occurs at the stage of assessing duty. My friend’s assessment started at over M$2000 and ended up at M$1500. In the report of the OP, the visitor was not given the option of paying duty… only arbitrary seizure of the important item.

When I return to BC, I typically bring one pricey bottle of tequila or mescal that would be even more expensive or unavailable in BC. That is my “keeper” bottle.

I bring one bottle of inexpensive rum. It is my “risk” bottle. A C$15 750 ml bottle would attract C$35.19 in duty & taxes.

http://www.canadiandutycalculator.ca/index.php

I have declared my overage on all of my scores of trips. Only once was there a requirement to pay. But it was “non-negotiable”. The assessment was the assessment that might be waived, but not negotiated.

(As that made it more expensive than buying in BC, I just surrendered the rum.)

I’m not arguing that either method is the “right” method. One is more transparent, more predictable, and has less sense of arbitrariness. The other has more “flexibility” at the greater risk of perceived unfairness.

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